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Menu

Lunch @ Darac Grill and Bar & Dessert @ Patterns Cafe

Darac Grill & Bar has a cosy setting with heaps of cute, retro and vintage decor and ornaments at every corner of the restaurant. I think they should change their tables though because the legs of the table were more in the middle. You had to either sit at the very edge cramped towards the wall, or in the middle of the table (which is hard when there are two people on one side of the table), or you had to sit with the leg of the table in between your own legs… if that made any sense?

Anyway, the menu was quite interesting. They have your typical Korean dishes such as bibimbap, or you could order the lunch set which is your choice from three steps. You tick which ones you want to eat and bring it up to the front counter. I thought it was quite unique, however it also means that the staff don’t really have to serve their customers. I was also really disappointed at how eager they were at rushing us to leave… As soon as we put down our chopsticks, they took our plates away. We didn’t even get time to sit there and digest a bit because the place was full and there was a group of people waiting for a table. The owner (guy in the photo above) was quite nice though, greeting us with a huge smile on his face as we left.

My meal:Yaki Noodle, Beef Bulgoki & Takoyaki (Regular $10.50) – the noodles weren’t as weird as I thought it’d be. It was actually quite nice but it was sickening halfway, I think I would’ve preferred steamed rice. The beef was unevenly cooked; some pieces were dry while others were moist and tender. The moist ones tasted really nice. Takoyaki was more batter than anything, and it was very bland. The salad was unevenly dressed and they gave us a little piece of bread which I thought was random… and stale. Overall, an average dish with a few flaws here and there.

Patterns cafe doesn’t really provide an atmosphere. The staff looked miserable… not even one smile was flashed at any of the customers. It was hard communicating with the worker who served me. I don’t think she knew how to speak English. I tried to ask her what was in a particular dish but she nodded and it just went awkward… huge language/communication barrier.

H’s dessert:Creme Brulee ($4.50) – I’ve never eaten a creme brulee before so I don’t have anything to compare this dish with. However, I do know that this dessert is meant to be light and creamy. Patterns Cafe’s one was extremely eggy and not very light at all. It had a rather grainy texture… contrasting to what I believe should be smooth and silky. The caramelised crust didn’t have that clear “crack” sound that you’d want in a creme brulee.

3/10

M’s dessert:Waffles w/ Vanilla Ice Cream, Mango, Whipped Cream & Mango Sauce ($6.50) – The image on the menu had the waffles as a square block however when it came out on the plate, we only got half of that (the photos are so deceiving!). I thought it was quite tasty… just your average mango pieces, whipped cream and vanilla ice-cream. The waffle was pretty light and fluffy and the mango sauce wasn’t too sweet.

6/10

My dessert:Mango & Pomelo Snow Ice ($9.90) – I didn’t really enjoy my dessert… the snow ice at Dessert Story is much better in my opinion. Patterns Cafe’s snow ice did not look anything like the one on their menus. The menu made it look so fluffy and delicate but the one I had was very flakey. It was less creamy, more icy… and I prefer a creamier texture for snow ice desserts. Everything was just sweetness overload so it got really sickening, I couldn’t even finish half.